Thank goodness it was just like filming as normal, except the camera had two lenses and the air of a predatory beast. The actors were warned that the mirrored glass covering the lenses was extremely expensive: which didn't stop my banging it one day with Gandalf's staff. Fortunately no damage done.

The other Hobbit innovation of "48 frames per second" excites the technocrats. These include Peter Jackson and James Cameron, who will be using it in his Avatar sequels soon to be shot in Wellington. 48fps has so far only been glimpsed in a 10 minute preview. Opinion divided between some critics (including representatives of studios other than Warner Bros) who claimed the effect was "too realistic" and the cinema-owners who, to a man, opted to screen The Hobbit in 48fps.

After a failed attempt to download a sample of the new look on You Tube, I've just gone back to the very entertaining Jackson blogs The Hobbit - Behind the Scenes. There, in part 4, those who know, explain some of what they know and make it all easy to understand. But as Peter says, if you want to see it in action for yourself, you have to wait until December 2012. Not long now. I'm ready.

To placate all parties, though, you will be able to see the film in 2D or 3D, 48fps or the standard 24fps version. And here's a thought: as with LOTR, most audiences will watch The Hobbit set at home on their television screens, where things look as they always have done. Not mine though: I've installed a High Definition 3D set and so am ready for anything that's thrown at me out of the screen.